Charter School Gets Grant For After-school Program

Beginning this fall, a Broward charter middle school will be using a $146,000 federal grant to help run after-school programs for its students.

The Smart School, which serves 250 at-risk students in Lauderhill, was one of only 386 schools nationwide to receive 21st Century Community Learning grants, out of more than 2,252 applicants.

Only two other Florida schools, both in Martin County, received a similar grant, which aids children in urban and rural schools and their families by providing safe, drug-free, supervised and cost-effective after-school care.

Eight other Florida grant recipients were all school districts, including $803,000 to the Palm Beach County School District and $500,000 to the School Board of Miami-Dade. In all, the program gave out nearly $213 million.

"It's very competitive, so it's impressive when a school receives one," said Alex Medler, a policy analyst who deals with charter-school issues for the U.S. Department of Education.

The Lauderhill charter school -- one of 12 public schools run by private individuals, groups or municipalities in Broward County -- will use the money to help pay for programs to assist students, parents and other members of the community. The student programs will be educational, recreational and cultural. Adults can learn computer literacy and parenting skills, among other subjects, said Pamela Farquharson, a Smart School official who helped write the grant. The program, scheduled to begin next fall, could take up to 300 students and 150 adults.

The state Department of Education gave the school a failing grade in 1999 under the A-Plus education reform plan. The school's rating has since improved to a D after Broward school officials beefed up district help for Smart School.

At least 8 million "latchkey" children are left alone and unsupervised after school nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Educators and children's advocates consider after-school programs to be one way to keep those children away from drugs and other serious troubles. There are already about 3,600 rural and inner-city public schools in 903 communities acting as 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

The grant, which continues through 2003, will pay Smart School each year to continue after-school programs. The federal grant pays the major part of the $523,000 total the school needs to run its after-school program.

The federal 21st Century Community Learning Center grant expects to award $205 million for the next round of grants, which would begin in 2002. Grant applications are due March 30. For information, call 877-433-7827.

Lona O'Connor can be reached at lo'connor@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4604.